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During the recent COLLABORATE 2009 Conference, Ranzal was selected to present a session designed around showing how to use the reporting tools from either traditional Hyperion or Oracle (formerly Siebel Analytics) and deliver content to smart phones. The session started off with an overview of smart phones, methods of delivery to those phones and some potential pitfalls and considerations, such as what if a user loses their phone? What kind of security policies need to be in place? Then a couple quick demonstrations in Hyperion were given which included a few tips and tricks on formatting. This was all done using Interactive Reporting and Workspace. Lastly, a couple quick demos in OBIEE Answers were provided to the attendees.
The demos were done in Hyperion version 9, although the content was pertinent for version 11 as well. Some of the common themes in the demonstrations were focus around timely information (i.e. there is no need to send a month report to a cell phone) and focus on exceptions instead of a whole data set (cell phone reporting should be more around focusing on a problem that needs attention than sending a whole dashboard or report).
A copy of the presentation from COLLABORATE 2009 can be found at ranzal.com.
Business Intelligence Technology Environment or BITE is my own little tag line and acronym (maybe I should copyright it) to express the host of solutions available in the Business Intelligence application world today. (It could also be used as a verb to describe the plethora of poorly designed solutions… ahh but that is another story.)
My current blog series will be Oracle EPM/BI+ solution centric while remaining Oracle EPM/BI+ application agnostic (now dictionary.com is paying off). I hope that you will enjoy this real life approach to the process of decision making on software solutions interspersed with some genuine tips and tricks of the trade — some that you have seen before and some you have never imagined.
In other words, I hope that you will not find this blog to be represented by my newly coined acronym — BITE.
Rules of conduct while at the Buffet
First we need a definition. Yes a definition! Don’t be afraid, definitions are a good thing, they keep us grounded, they set limits and finally they determine if we are true to our mission. I define BITE as processes, software and goals needed to precisely solution the business data critical to the legal, accounting and business decision needs of a specific entity.
Inventive techno junkies, single tool consultants and one track sales people – CLOSE YOUR EYES / SHEILD YOUR COMPUTERS for this next statement else you might go blind. “Precisely Solution” in the definition of BITE includes the moral imperative of not misusing software for intent other than its design and picking software that fits the current business life cycle of a company. (Those of you with Software Misuse problems, I will be posting a number you can call to get help. Remember the first step is admitting you have a problem.)
The application stack for EPM / BI+; HFM, Essbase (with all its add-on modules), Smart View, OBIE, OBAW, FDM, DRM, ODI and a few products you might not have heard about or you’ve heard about but never assessed for your purposes. NO, NO, No, no folks this is not a software sales blog, it’s a solutions blog and in our solutions toolbox we need to do more than use a single hammer creatively to remain competitive from an efficiency and business life cycle standpoint.
The Personalities in the Buffet Line
Now that we have some parameters (and I know it was painful for you left brainers) by which we can solution, we need some realistic company situations to solution. Let’s start with four companies each different in their business life cycle, staff sizes and demands for a BITE at success. You can email me if you will absolutely die without a very specific company example however, I cannot boil the ocean here in this blog (small ponds are all that will be possible).
Our four companies need to be different to see solutions in the work. Let’s pick a manufacturer, a technology company, a retailer and a commodity group. In my next addition we will outline the companies, their mission, their needs and their resources.
OBIEE (Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition)
In this part of my OBIEE blog, I’ll guide you through basic steps to create an Oracle server repository and use it to bring over a relational data source for use in OBI Answers. As of OBIEE version 10.1.3.3.2, Essbase is supported as an OBI data source allowing the user to integrate Essbase data with OBI Answers, OBI Interactive Dashboards, and OBI Publisher. The latest version of OBIEE is 10.1.3.4x. Refer to my part 2 blog (OBIEE and Essbase – Defining OLAP Integration) for importing Essbase content into OBIEE.
For the below steps, I will be using SQL Server 2005 relational database as my source but you can use Oracle 10g or older versions of either tool.
To create an Oracle repository, open the Oracle BI Administration Tool and select File | New and name your new repository.
Set security by selecting Manage | Security. Assuming you are the admin, select Users | Administrator. Right click Administrator, select Properties to enter an admin password and confirm the password. Close out Security Manager.
To import a relational data source, select File | Import | from Database.
Select a connection type.
Select the relational data source, enter login credentials and click OK.
Enter the relational table to import. Deselect all but Tables, Keys, and Foreign Keys and click Import. If you are using Views instead of Tables, change accordingly.
The relational table will import into the Physical layer of the Administration Tool.
Test the import by right clicking a column (Branch_Name is selected in this example) and select View Data. Values for the selected column should populate in a view data table.
Drag the imported relational table folder from the Physical layer to the Business Model and Mapping (BMM) layer. In the BMM layer, here you can create logical tables and joins to develop the type of model needed for presentation.
Next, drag the relational table from the BMM layer to the Presentation layer to finalize its presentation for the user. Manipulation by presentation can be performed in this layer for Subject Area use in OBI Answers.
For your reference and as a recap from my part 2, here is the significance of each layer:
| 1. Physical layer – imported tables and views come from the relational data source; physical joins can be performed here |
| 2. BMM layer – this layer organizes imports from the physical layer into logical categories |
| 3. Presentation layer – BMM entities are organized for user presentation |
Once your Presentation layer is complete, it can be made available for OBI Answers to create dashboard content bringing both relational and multidimensional data sources into one view. A sample of an Answers view is displayed below combining both relational and multidimensional data sources into a combo box allowing for choice among regions. Any selection of region updates both relational and multidimensional tables for view.
This is just one simple example of the product’s capabilities. OBIEE is redefining how we approach BI with the evolution of this product improving on how we develop it. There is a great deal of flexibility within OBIEE for relational and multidimensional reporting and those who understand how to leverage this tool will see its impact upon their organization for the better.
In this second part of our OBIEE series, the integration between OBIEE and Essbase is a seamless transition from our OLAP cube to the OBIEE suite managed by using OBIEE’s Administration Tool.
OBIEE Administration Tool view
This Administration tool has been designed with wizards, utilities, and interface design elements to help administrators work more efficiently.
Essbase test outline
Using an existing Essbase outline called ‘test’, this outline can be used to import an OLAP connection to OBIEE.
From the Administration Tool, select
File | Import | from Multi-dimensional
Enter the provider type, Essbase Server name, and its login credentials. The physical layer table, connection pooling, etc. will be automated and established once the import completes. You can also manually set each individual component in the physical layer if you want this level of control.
When the Physical layer has been established, simply drag and drop the folder of your Essbase outline from the Physical layer to the Business Model and Mapping layer to define a mapping between the business model and the physical layer schemas.
Physical Layer in Administration Tool
Once the business model mapping has been established, move the business model to the Presentation layer to make it available for user views.
Business Model & Mapping Layer in Administration Tool
This Presentation layer allows the Administration tool to present customized views of the business model to users. The business models can be managed in this presentation layer by removing unwanted or unneeded columns, restrict certain columns from view, or maybe rename a column to a more user-friendly name.
Presentation Layer in Administration Tool
Once adjustments to column views have been completed and ready in the presentation layer, it can be made available in the Subject Areas for users to develop reports using the Answers component of OBIEE.
OBIEE Subject Area in the Answers component of OBIEE
So the three layers within the OBIEE Administration tool are defined as follows:
- Physical layer – Represents the physical structure of the data sources to which the Oracle BI Server submits queries. This layer is displayed in the right pane of the Administration Tool.
- Business Model and Mapping layer - Represents the logical structure of the information in the repository. The business models contain logical columns arranged in logical tables, logical joins, and dimensional hierarchy definitions. This layer also contains the mappings from the logical columns to the source data in the Physical layer. It is displayed in the middle pane of the Administration Tool.
- Presentation layer - Represents the presentation structure of the repository. This layer allows you to present a view different from the Business Model and Mapping layer to users. It is displayed in the left pane of the Administration Tool.
Some of the features of the Administration tool make management of metadata and data much less complicated. The change management feature makes it easy to change multiple object names, text, case, and adding prefixes and suffixes. This allows for drag and drop capabilities from the physical to the business model layer.
Organization of metadata is straightforward using a feature called metadata administration. This feature grants users the ability to create folders to manage dimension tables and hierarchies.
The multi-user collaboration feature regulates the off-line/on-line modes for read only or to take effect immediately. This enables metadata repositories to be checked out or checked in and authorizes multiple administrators to work on a repository concurrently.
The Export/Import feature supports the export and import of metadata to move systems from staging to production and provide documentation.
Defining how OLAP is presented to OBIEE has been explained in basic format within this blog article but readers should know that this Administration Tool is much more powerful and can allow for more focused control within each of its layer process managing metadata and data. It is integrated and is flexible and its goal is to help move disparate source data to the OBIEE suite.
The end result can be a visual dashboard that makes sense of data utilizing charts, graphs, stop lighting, embedded images, tickers, etc. to organize and present data in a manner your audience will embrace and use.
Dashboard created with Answers from Essbase test outline
This concludes part 2 of the OBIEE & Essbase integration. Keep an eye out for my next article where I’ll review RDBMS integrated with OBIEE and how it can be used in conjunction with Essbase in Answers reporting.
 OBIEE + Essbase |
Oracle Hyperion’s Essbase is a fast and flexible multidimensional database and has been widely used for this reason. Similarly, reporting against Essbase has been in top demand because of the speed and efficiency of Essbase. However, there has been no single front-end reporting application that is integrated with Essbase to the extent of the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition – OBIEE (BI Answers, BI Interactive BI Dashboard, BI Scheduler, and BI Publisher components). This combination may be the answer for many users who have seen this disparity in reporting.
Traditionally, those users who have worked with reporting tools realize that their complete need for reporting can’t be handled with a single application. Users either develop multiple front-end reporting applications to integrate into their business decision making or opt to go with less reporting. The trade off of doing more with different applications cost time and money while doing less doesn’t give them fully utilized analysis of their data nor do they get a full return on their investment. In the Hyperion world, users are asked to create reporting views on a Hyperion Reports application for mid-level managers – a group who understands detailed data where they can pivot dimensions and see alternate views. But for senior management or C-level executives, a Web Analysis canned reporting view is a must because they are less familiar with the detailed data. While it has been acceptable and necessary to create reporting views of the same data on different applications in the past, OBIEE may solve this issue for the future.
OBIEE is a powerful reporting application that can also be utilized as a middleware tool to manage Essbase data and provide the same or similar reporting capabilities like Web Analysis, Reports, Interactive Reporting, and Crystal Reports all rolled into a single package. Within OBIEE, reports can be created for different types of users where data can be presented in many different layers for viewing but managed within a single application.
Options within OBIEE provide more robust capabilities that weren’t possible before. Users find that they spend their development time creating a work around more often than not because their application can’t do this or is limited to that. This diminishes reporting empowerment for the user and also limits their full use of relevant data.
Oracle has managed to find a way to merge different technologies from different companies that make sense of reporting development while adhering to the demands and needs of users. The sooner users leverage these hybrid offerings, the sooner their data and their return on investment can be fully realized.
I’m open to your comments. Look for the next OBIEE article on how this integration between Oracle BI Enterprise Edition and Essbase is accomplished.
Contributed by:
Michael Duong, Lead Consultant
Hyperion Essbase Certified
Ranzal & Associates
mduong@ranzal.com
